Idrija is known for its mercury mine. The mine was a driver for the development of the city and its surroundings, and raising the quality of life of the then inhabitants. At that time, wood was extremely important, both for the establishment of the mining complex, as well as the external infrastructure and housing construction. Based on a review of the preserved literature and potential research locations, we decided to perform a dendrochronological analysis on a typical Idrija's miners house and on a ˝kamšt˝, a water-powered water pump. We performed field sampling of wood, on which we then performed identifications of wood species in the laboratory and performed measurements of the growth ring widths for dendrochronological analysis. Based on the results, we constructed chronologies of buildings and dated them with the help of reference chronologies from the Chair for Wood Science. Most analysed samples were identified as silver fir wood (Abies alba), and only one sample was identified as Norway spruce (Picea abies). Based on the dating of the construction elements with waney edge (1602 do 1699) we placed the Idrija Mining House in the 17th Century. The dating results for the dated elements without waney edge place the ˝kamšt˝ in the period after 1923. We assume that there is not much left of the structure’s original wood, because it has been in operation for 150 years and has been constantly exposed to wear and damage.
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